The sport’s most popular driver told USA Today that he saw no issues with Stewart and other NASCAR stars running other races aside from their Sprint Cup schedule. Stewart suffered a broken leg in a sprint car crash at Southern Iowa Speedway Monday night and is expected to miss multiple races after surgery.

"Tony loves to race, and I think he should race as much as he wants," Earnhardt told USA Today’s Nate Ryan. "There's danger in racing. These types of things are going to happen.

"I think he can do whatever he wants to do. He's having fun living his life. You've got one life, man. You can't sit there and sit on the sidelines worrying about what's going to happen to you. You've got to get out there and do it. He's just doing what he enjoys. Everybody else understands the risk and reward, and it was worth it to him."

Earnhardt Jr. was in similar a situation in 2004 when he was badly burned in a crash while practicing for a sports car race at Sonoma Raceway. Earnhardt needed a relief driver for one race, but did not miss any full events and finished the season with six wins and fifth in points.

Earnhardt expects to return strong once he recovers from surgery and the injury.

"Tony's really tough," Earnhardt told USA Today. "He really reminds me a lot of A.J. Foyt and how A.J. always stood his ground. I perceive Tony as the same guy. He's just a different generation, but it's the same attitude.

"I admire him. Down in there, he's got a good heart. As brash and hardcore as he is, he's got a real good heart for people and treats people good. You just hate to see those things happen to those kinds of people. But he'll get tuned up and they'll sort him out, and he'll be back and it'll be forgotten. But it just sucks that he has to go through it. He's just doing something he really enjoys to do."

Earnhardt also knows the frustration of missing races with an injury. He missed two Chase races last year while recovering from a pair of concussions.

"You hate seeing people having to go through adversity and have to deal with the pain," he said. "I'm sure he's in a tremendous amount of pain and is going to have a tough road to get back on his rehab.

"It just sucks. Trying to overcome an injury is a real challenge, especially for athletes, and having to miss the races is going to be tough. The physical part is what you think about."